


Welcome Home

by cosidrix



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Post-Canon Fix-It, takes place directly after the end of the game, their reunion in the game lacks heart like cmon nintendo, theyre soulmates- platonic or romantic- they deserve to hug! at least!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2020-07-28 11:35:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20063359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosidrix/pseuds/cosidrix
Summary: Link and Zelda have been separated for more than 100 years, and have an appropriately emotional reunion after defeating Ganon.





	Welcome Home

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place directly after the final cutscene. These two have been through hell for one another, they deserved to have emotional release. This can be read as romantic or platonic, I've kept it vague on purpose. A bit of a precursor for "Leave The Horror Here". Enjoy!

“May I ask,” Zelda’s voice was brittle, more so than Link had ever heard and it broke his heart just as much as it warmed it. “Do you really remember me?”  
Link swallowed down the tightness in his throat. His chest burned with every breath, exhausted lungs and a pounding heart aching from the battle he’d just endured. The hot, white glow that banished Ganon did not award Link’s injuries the same, and he stood more tired than he ever did before Hyrule’s rightful ruler. But he still stood. All that training as a knight had become muscle memory and he didn’t so much as let his shoulders droop. 

She looked as she had looked a hundred years ago, though weary now. Her dress was tattered near the bottom, her hair wasn’t the smoothest Link had ever seen it, but her eyes were still so bright. And shiny. And suddenly Link didn’t feel so self-conscious about being so close to tears. 

He had walked this field before. A few months after waking, he had searched here for wild greens to cook up at a nearby stable. It was a mundane field then, but it was everything to him now. Here was proof that he did it, against all odds. Here was proof that things were going to get better, that Ganon would never claim another life here. Here was proof that he survived, and his best friend had as well. 

A hundred years had passed, and he still couldn’t think of a name to call her that wasn’t  _ his best friend. _

He uncurled his fist, let the Master Sword fall into the grass unceremoniously. He didn’t know who started running at the other first, all he knew was that he couldn’t get to her fast enough. Arms were flung over shoulders and waists, fingers dug into cloth, knees fell against the dewy earth. Zelda buried her face against Link’s shoulders and shuddered, blinking warm tears against his shoulders.

“Of course,” Link choked out, “Yes, of course, I could never forget you.”

“You did it, you-- you really did it. You saved us, Link.”

Link stroked her hair with a trembling hand, “I couldn’t have done any of it without you. I missed you so, so much.”  
Her hands tightened around his shoulders. There was a long moment in which the two of them indulged in an emotional reprieve that was not becoming of knights or princesses but it simply did not matter. What mattered was the sounds of the birds and insects around them, the twin sets of shaky breaths, and the sight of Hyrule Castle unswathed in malice for the first time in a century. With his chin resting on the top of Zelda’s head, Link stared out at the kingdom he’d nearly died today defending. Small figures in the distance approached the Castle warily on horseback. Divine Beast Vah Medoh folded its wings, Vah Rudania rested against rock, Vah Naboris knelt. The formidable summits of the Dueling Peaks prevented him from looking upon Vah Ruta, but he could imagine that it was taking a much needed break too. Even secluded upon this ridge, he could feel the people of Hyrule heave their first breaths in a safe world, and the thought left him wiping at his eyes once more. 

Zelda leaned back on her knees and Link reluctantly let her go. She pushed her hair away from her face and took a deep breath to steel herself. It was a movement so purely  _ Zelda  _ that Link couldn’t help the smile that was pulling at the corners of his mouth. She looked at him like she was committing every bit of his face to memory, every scratch and scar and bruise. 

“I’m probably a lot more beat up than how you remember me,” He commented lightly once his voice had returned to him.

She giggled and wiped at the stray tears settled on her cheeks, “I’m probably not as dignified as you remember. Sitting in the mud, and all.”  
He couldn’t say it, he wouldn’t say it. He wouldn’t tell her that the last thing he remembered from the now so distant _before _was just that. Her voice, distorted by the cruel storyteller that was memory, shouting at the knights to take him to the Shrine of Resurrection. Her face, shredded by horror. Her body, adorned in this same white dress but stained by the mud and soil of the Korok Forest as the weight of her failure broke her down. 

There would be time to tell her everything, but now was not the time. 

“No, but you sure aren’t a pretty crier.”

She shoved at his chest with open palms but there wasn’t an ounce of anger in it. “I just helped to save your life, you could show a little kindness!”

Link laughed, heartily, for the first time in years. He tried to shoot back some kind of witty remark, but it overtook him. He could barely catch a breath and before he knew it, Zelda was laughing too. They gripped each other’s hands and just laughed. They wept and they laughed until their chests were on fire and then they laughed some more. The first real, deserved joy after what feels like an eternity of sorrow is a natural wonder that people often forget about, but it is one of the best kinds of magic. 

“It doesn’t even feel real, Zel.” Link grinned at her once the fit had ended. 

Zelda reached her hand up to touch his cheek, her thumb ghosting over a gash along his cheekbone. “I know. You did so well.”

“Is that part of the feeling unreal part? That I did a good job?”

She rolled her eyes, “I wonder how long it’ll be until I start regretting helping you.”  
He leaned into her touch, “Is that a challenge? I can get really annoying, y’know, make up for lost time.”

Ignoring his comment, she sighed. “We should get to the Castle as soon as possible. You need to see a doctor.”  
“I’ve had worse, don’t worry about me.” 

“It’s been a hundred years of worrying about you, Link.”

“I know,” He said, gentler than he meant to, “But… I’m alright now.”

Zelda pursed her lips and nodded. “There’s so much I want to ask you.”

“Yeah, and you can. Just--”  
“Not right now, I understand.” She let her hand drop from his cheek to his shoulder. “You’ve gotten… bigger. Not so lanky, now.”

He shrugged, “Lots of climbing. Running. Swimming. Hunting my own meals.”

“You’re a regular outdoorsman, then? Won’t be needing a bedroom back?”  
He chuckled, “Very funny.”

“I’ve had a long time to work on my jokes, you know.” 

“You’ll have to tell me all of them.”

“I suppose I will.” She turned to look over her shoulder. She stared at the Castle, and Link stared at her. “But now, I just think… I would like to go home.”  
He nodded, “The people need their princess.”

Zelda squared her jaw, and Link could feel her pushing everything down again with a newfound truth. “Actually, unless I’ve forgotten how royal heirs work, the people need their  _ queen _ .”

Link took her hand again. When they got down there, this sort of casual touch in public would be frowned upon between royals and knights, best friends or not. But for now, he took what he could. It had been so long since either of them held another’s hand. 

“I’m here,” He promised her, “Anything you need.”

She looked to him, haloed in the light of a new, triumphant day in Hyrule. They had a long road before them, and there were paths that they would each unfortunately have to walk alone as they healed along with the rest of the kingdom. No part of this was going to be easy. But for the first time in one hundred years, they would have what meant more than anything, more than all the land and seas and even Hylia herself. They would have each other. 


End file.
